A Jacob Young trade would only make sense if the offer comes loaded.
The Yankees’ reported interest in the Nationals center fielder has kicked up a real offseason question in Washington: do the Nats cash in on Young now, or keep the player who just put together the best year of his career? Young is coming off a 2026 season that changed the conversation around him.
He hit .252 with a .708 OPS, a big jump from last year’s .231 average and .583 OPS, and the biggest reason was a clear shift in approach. Instead of just trying to slap the ball on the ground, Young went hunting for damage.
That adjustment showed up across his batted-ball profile, swing path and overall production, and the results were hard to miss. He went from looking like an ugly offensive player to someone who was close to league average at the plate. Add in his glove, and a .708 OPS suddenly looks a lot more valuable.
The power spike was the part nobody saw coming. Young had just five career home runs entering the season.
Then he turned around and launched 10 this year, doubling his previous total and reaching double digits for the first time. In a season full of offensive surprises, that was one of the loudest.
Still, the question isn’t whether Young helped himself. It’s whether Washington should move him.
He shouldn’t be treated as untouchable, but there’s a strong case against shopping him aggressively. Trading him would essentially mean betting everything on Dylan Crews as the center fielder, and Crews has not produced at the level of his draft pedigree yet.
Young, in a lot of ways, is insurance for Crews. His defense gives him a high floor, and that matters on a roster with plenty of uncertainty.
Crews has the better offensive upside because of his pedigree and power potential, but there’s still real skepticism there. Young’s defensive value is the safety net, and it’s a good one.
If the Nationals do decide to deal him, this is the kind of offseason where selling high could make sense. There’s no guarantee the offensive gains will last, even if the expectation is that some of them will.
The center field market is also thin, especially after down seasons from Daulton Varsho and Trent Grisham. That could create a situation where a team like the Yankees comes in with an offer Washington can’t ignore.
The asking price should be real. If the deal is with New York, the return should start with one of the Yankees’ young arms, such as Elmer Rodriguez or Ben Hess. If the Nationals tried to turn the move into a bigger package, names like Will Warren or Ryan Weathers would be the kind of pieces that would make it worth considering.
And it’s not only the Yankees. The Astros, Reds, Orioles and Rangers are also mentioned as clubs that could use a center fielder.
Young’s glove is the thing that keeps him firmly in the conversation. Over the last three seasons, only PCA has more outs above average among center fielders. Young covers ground with those elite jumps, and he has already shown the kind of flair that turns wall plays into highlights, including that insane catch against the Marlins.
For now, the stance is pretty clear: open to a trade, but only if the return is strong enough to justify giving up a player who brings defense, stability and three more years of team control. Young is valuable, he’s a positive presence in the clubhouse, and he’s not untouchable. But Washington should only move him if the deal truly changes the roster.